Yoakum's William Markert will have about four hours to wait between throwing the discus and the shot put on Saturday at the UIL Track and Field State Championships.

"We'll find somewhere he can slip in and find a cool spot," said William's father and Yoakum coach David Markert.

Markert won't be alone when he tries to escape the heat at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

Markert is one of four Class 3A athletes from the Advocate-area competing in two events at the state meet.

Wharton's Myavia Armstrong will run the 100- and 200-meter dashes, Goliad's Amber Perry will run the 400-meter dash and a leg on the 800-meter relay, and Cuero's Buster Hansel will run the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

Hansel's events are split between Friday and Saturday, but the others will have two events on Saturday.

"It's not so bad with the shot put and the discus because they're both weight events," David Markert said. "It would get tough if he was doing a running event. The shot put would overlap with some running events."

Perry will have the toughest schedule running the 400 about 20 minutes after she runs the anchor leg on the relay.

"Amber is the strongest or second strongest person in the program," said Goliad coach Stacy Zamzow. "The Lord gifted her with great ability and she works hard. It's hard to beat an athlete that works hard and has worked hard."

Armstrong has qualified for both sprint events as a freshman, which comes as no surprise to Wharton coach Courtney Carter.

"One of the things that makes her so special is no matter how much pressure is put on her she stays calm," Carter said. "She takes it as it comes. She's very, very talented and in all the situations she uses that talent to stay relaxed."

William Markert, a senior, has competed at the state meet, but is seeking his first medal. He's seeded first in the discus and shot put.

"I've been working hard trying to make sure everything gets taken care of with each event and then go on to the next one," Markert said. "I just want to do the best I can and try to come out on top."

Perry, a junior, is making her second appearance at the state meet and won a bronze medal in the 400 last year. She is seeded second in the 400 and Goliad's 800 relay team is seeded sixth.

"When she ran the anchor on the relay at the regional meet we were in Lane 8 and she went from sixth to first in about 100 meters," Zamzow said. "She has a gear not many girls have."

Armstrong is seeded first in the 200 and fourth in the 100.

"She really hasn't been pushed," Carter said. "When she's pushed, she can turn it on. She also has a high GPA and she's really smart. She processes stuff faster than most."

Markert, Perry, Armstrong and Hansel would love to get on the medal stand twice, but want to make sure they bring home at least one medal.

"If you do well, you hope it carries over into the next event," David Markert said. "If not, you try to regroup and get ready to go again."